The ActiveRain RainCamp Tour is Official! Our first ever RainCamp in Seattle was sold out in just two weeks. Now there's a demand by many of our members and non members to bring RainCamp to cities all across the Country. As you can imagine, this is a huge undertaking for our staff and team. There are so many details that go into setting up this event, but our members and guests are not only worth it, they deserve it.
The "Rainergy" and "Buzz" that comes from a RainCamp is like no other event I've ever experienced. You have to witness it for yourself to understand and grasp the full value and impact it will have on you, your Business, your relationships in your community, and the industry. Here's what a few of the folks from RainCamp Seattle had to say:
RainCamp is coming to San Francisco on December 2nd, 2009 for a full day packed with great content, presentations, and some of the most useful and applicable ideas and processes that you can implement immediately into your Social Media, Networking, and Blogging Business Strategy and Plan. The Location and Venue we've selected is once again a "Top Notch" off the hook spot.
How is RainCamp different from other Conferences?
Assess how you stack up in the modern market.
Listen to people that are practicing what they preach, and having outstanding success doing it.
Learn the methodology of a newer agent who has leveraged the Internet to become a 'Mega Producer'.
Walk away with executables you can put into action immediately.
Hard core real estate technology education. This is not a fluff event!!
What Do You Get?
An Action Packed Day: At a State-of-the-art conference and meeting room is just the beginning of our package at Mission Bay Conference Center at UCSF. They have Gorgeous meeting rooms with City and Bay views. Great layout with plenty of seating, wireless Internet Access, and much more.All the comforts and ammenities of a 5-Star Resort. "This is one of San Francisco's only full-service conference facilities."
There will be approximately 140 seats setup classroom style (with tables) reserved for attendees with laptops. It is all open seating so those seats are first come first serve the day of event. We are limited to only 500 seats max capacity, so register right away. There will be On-site paid parking available, street parking and/or complimentary shuttles from the BART and Caltrain stations. If you're wanting overnight accommodations, here's the Unique Venues Site.
RainCamp tickets are available NOW at a retail price of $159. However, we have reserved 50 tickets for our "early adopters" at a price of $99. This is a great value, so make sure you register today before they're gone, it will sell out.
"When is RainCamp Coming To Your Town?" We'd love to come to every Major City, and may do so eventually, but currently we are starting in San Francisco, then in no specific order, we'll be in Miami, Washington DC, Dallas, New York, Atlanta, Arizona and more. I'll be announcing those date and locations soon. We're still working out all the calendar and venue details.
This is our last West Coast event planned for a while, andwe are really looking forward to coming to the "City By The Bay" and bringing the "Rain-Storm" with us. Just like in Seattle, we'll be hosting another exclusive "VIP" event/gathering after RainCamp, we'll have more details about that coming up later. It's going to be a day you'll never forget, I hope you can make it to join us. We put a ton of heart, soul, preparation, and passion into RainCamp, and we don't want anyone to miss out. So RSVP NOW! :-)
Check out the RainCamp.com Blog. Also follow the twitter stream using #raincamp.
ActiveRain awards members points based on participation and their individual involvement within the network and community. While there is a much more complicated and technical explanation of how the point system works, this post is to provide you a general overview of how points are earned and distributed that to ALL ActiveRain members.
ActiveRain points are earned based on a members individual activities and efforts. Points are accumulated over the duration of the Calendar week which "Starts Monday morning at 12:00am Central Time, and Ends Sunday night at 11:59pm Central Time."
The following are some ways you can earn points and move up the "Featured Member" ladder in your Local Area.
200 Points for each Blog Post (Max 10 per Week) (50 Word Minimum Required)
25 Additional Points when Post is added to Channels with a Topic
400 Points for Featured Post on ActiveRain.com (Excludes Posts Featured in ActiveRain Groups)
25 Points For Each Comment (Max 10 Per Day) (Comments on Your Own Posts Excluded)
25 Points for Each Reblogged Post (Max 10 Per Week - These do not Include Your Own Posts)
ActiveRain Profile Points (Building Your AR Profile will Build points)
Received Comments on Blog Posts (No Blog Post to exceed 475 pts.)
100 Points - Logging In To ActiveRain Each Day (This applies 7 days a week)
250 Points When Someone Accepts Your AR Invitation (Must Sign Up under Members Invite Code)
10% of Total Points Earned By New Members Invited By You (IE: Invited Member Earns 1000 pts. - You Earn 100 Pts.)
ActiveRain and Member Approved Contests - Points Will Vary (These show up as Bonus Points in your Point Summary)
Staff Awarded Bonus Points - These are issued by the AR staff (Member Humanitarian, Paying It Forward, Helping Others etc.)
Weekly Point Scenario: The potential of points available per week, per member would be as follows: 1750 for max comments, 2000 for max Blog posts, 700 for logging in daily, 250 for adding to Channels/Topics, and 250 for max ReBlogged posts. The Weekly potential of points would be 4950 (this does not include featured posts, comments received, invitation and percentage points, contests, and staff awarded bonus points.)
Point Disclaimer:The Points System created by the ActiveRain Network was developed and implemented to motivate, inspire, and reward members for their participation and involvement within the community. These points are subject to change at the discretion of the ActiveRain Mgmt. Team, with or without cause, warning, or notice.
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How Do You Manage And Protect Your Online Reputation?
A few weeks ago I was reading an article about "BIG Corporate Companies" that were missing the boat by not getting involved in Social Media. "They are missing out on the ability to track and manage their brands, their names, their business and reputations" or something to that effect. It got me thinking about how important it is to connect on-line and know what's going on around you at all times, or at least as much as possible.
"The On-line world is also the Off-line World making them both one in the same. What happens Off-line ends up online, and what happens On-line gets spread quickly Off-line and visa versa. It's known as "viral" in both worlds.
How do you manage and protect your reputation in the off-line world? In order to build, protect, or manage your brand or reputation, you have to interact so you can hear the chatter, the rumors, the buzz, the testimonials, or even the whisper when someones talking about you or your company? No matter what, whether it's good or bad, people do talk. In the social media world, even more-so. Good news travels fast, and often times, bad news travels even faster.
How do you know when someone is talking about you, your company, or your business in the on-line world? What are people saying or whispering on LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace or FaceBook? What about your past or current clients, your sphere of influence, or even your competitors? Would you even know? I think many of the Larger Companies and Businesses DO know the power of Social Media Marketing and the importance of Networking. I see it more and more, they are wanting to stay close and connected to what's being said about their products, their services, their company and business, or even them as individuals.
Managing and Protecting your online reputation isn't just for the Big Corporate Companies....
...it should also be important to you.
Here's some ideas and suggestions that can help you in the new on-line social media and off-line networking world. Let's start with the simplest and basic of all tools. When was the last time you ran your name or Company using Google? Google Search. This is typically the first thing we learn and try to do regularly to see what shows up in the search engine results. This is a great and basic way to find out how about your online Internet presence. What shows up? I still do this on a weekly basis.
Next, there are some free and simple tools available to help you get a better handle on what's being said across the WEB. Start with Google Alerts, it's an easy way to setup specific keyword searches. Once those specific words or terms are found and indexed, notifications are emailed directly to you. Setup alerts for your name, your company, employees, your brand etc. Some even setup Google Alerts for their competition or other specific business topics or "interesting" terms and phrases. This is a good start to keeping yourself connected and informed.
Many of you will remember the "viral" video "United Breaks Guitars!?!" I wonder how long before United knew they were famous on Youtube? I bet they have multiple alerts setup now... maybe not... :-O
Now you can stop reading right here of course, unless you'd like to go a little deeper....
Ok, you're still reading so you must want more. You should consider what happens and what gets said on sites like Twitter and Facebook. Let's be honest here, if someone wants everyone else in the world to know something, they post it on Twitter and Facebook. It's the fastest way to gather and spread information, but at the same time, it's the fastest and easiest way to build or destroy a name or reputation. Look what happened to Wal-Mart and Target last Christmas. A classic example of the "Thrill of Victory" and the "Agony of Defeat."
Search.Twitter.com is a tried and true method of finding out who is talking about you and what they are saying. Twittergrader, and Facebookgrader are a couple of other products you can check out from Hubspot. If you're looking for more of that "visual" display of your online presence, then check out spezify. This one is not only informative, it's fun and entertaining at the same time. Addictomatic is another one you should visit, you'll love the compilation of content it will pull up using various resources to do all the work for you. I always suggest starting with your name or company when visiting and trying these sites. You will be surprised at some of the things you'll find.
Now let's dig really deep for gold! Measuring your online presence and influence. Klout.com and OnlineIDcalculator.com each have devised their own internal way for determining your influential impact in the on-line world. SocialMention which is a similar service will “grade” your results based on your participation in a variety of places. The last site I'll mention is StepRep, this is one I use daily. You can receive daily email updates on the results Steprep finds, and the social networking aspect of it certainly can't hurt when building a positive reputation.
We've all seen what can happen to a company or individual via the Social Networks albeit from a single tweet, a note on a FB wall, a Video on Youtube, a photo on Flickr, or even a Blog post or article on a website. There is great power in the hands of those millions of consumer messages that get transmitted over the cyber-lines each and everyday. No one can protect your good name or business but you. That was until now... there is online help. Sleep better at night knowing you have done your best to manage and protect your business and reputation.
Don't forget your ReBlogged posts, it's good to keep up with what others are saying and adding to them.
These may not be the catch-all, fix-all, but it's a start to "managing and protecting your online reputation."
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This just came out and was put together by the folks over at Google. A two minute video that I expect will go viral shortly. Takes you back from the beginning before Google, in 1995, when two mathematicians meet for the first time at Stanford. Then you're fast forwarded onto the present "Google Wave!" It's Creative, It's Brilliant... It's Google. :-)
"It's already had over 100 views!!"
Get ready, I think they might be about to "Turn The Page!"
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These are my Top 40 Resources for Real Estate Industry Information and Education
Most of my reading hours are spent right here on ActiveRain. Your Blogs and Posts. Let's face it, one could sit at their computer ALL DAY everyday, and never run out of great material to read and learn from AR members. There is more information, education, inspiration, and entertainment here than you could consume in a lifetime. However, from time to time, I like to head out onto the Blogosphere SUPER-HIGHWAY and explore what else is out there.
When I first started working here at AR, I was reading folks like Seth Godin, The Scobelizer, Chris Brogan, and Guy Kawasaki. Then I discovered other great sites and resources like GeekEstateBlog, where I soon became a contributing author. The list kept growing over time. Now it has grown so large that I barely have enough hours in the day (or night) to try and keep up with all the great content that's available out there. I still try, but my efforts seem futile.
In the spirit of "Paying It Forward" I'm sharing some of these great writers, Blogs, and sites with all of you. The information and education available out there is very powerful and useful if you know where to find it, learn how to use it, and then apply it.
Here are my TOP 40 Favorite Blogs, Sites, Writers and Resources:
I'm sharing this to try and "Pay it forward" to these sites and writers for all the information and education they've continued to provide me over the years. And to "you" for all that you have shared and contributed here as well. That's what it's all about, people Paying-It-Forward, so thank you. I've created my ALLTOP, where these sites and authors can be accessed from a single page. You can also create your own ALLTOP FAVS page to be shared.
So for those of you who ask me all the time,"Brad, Do You ever sleep" and "Where do you come up with all this stuff?" Well now my secrets have been revealed. Yes I do, and now you know. :-) The key is time management...and of course... a little speed reading. lol~
Hope you Enjoy, I sure have!
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How To Get Your Blog Posts Viral Exposure on Twitter and Facebook
As important as Location, Location, Location is to Real Estate, so is the importance of Exposure, Exposure, Exposure to Bloggers. Some Bloggers offer their subscribers, readers, and visitors the ability to "share" their content with others via Twitter or Facebook. ActiveRain has the ReBlog Option, just like Wordpress and Blogger are doing now, but that only works for other AR members. Here's a way to help get your "Voice Heard" and your "Posts Seen" on two of the other Largest Social Networks in the World, and here's how others can help you do it.
"Tweets" and "ReTweets" are quite popular as is "Sharing on FaceBook." I've just discovered a way that you can now do both. I think you're going to like this. It's simple. Just create and add a "Tweet" button, or a custom "Share" graphic, then create a link to it just like you would any other photo or image. You can even use text with a hyper-link. Here's the secret: you just need to replace the "BOLD" URL below with your page that you want shared. You will need to keep the underlined portion of the code below for each button to work.
For A ReTweet Code:http://twitter.com/home?status=RT%20http://PutYourPageURLHere
Share on FaceBook Code:http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://AddYourPageURLHere
Now some of you may be thinking, why not just use the "Sharethis" or "AddThis" widget? Well you still can, and they do have more options, but the millions of Social Networking consumers out there are probably more use to seeing the Tweet, ReTweet, and Share on FaceBook buttons. Familairity may play more of a role here than we think. Not to mention, using this method is quick, easy, and only "one click" away from accomplishing the readers goal. To Share!
So starting right now, you can begin letting the 100 million members that logon to Facebook each day, and the 14,590,000 Twitter accounts(guesstimation) share your great content with others on Facebook and Twitter. Word of Caution: This will not work for "Members Only" and "Associates Only" posts on AR. It will work on any "Public" Blog, Post, or Website.
Taking the idea one step further. If you have an AR Outside Blog, make sure that the Link you provide to your "Tweet" and "Share on FaceBook" buttons go to the post on your AR Outside Blog and not to your Internal AR Blog. This will help increase exposure and traffic to your Outside Blogs. All your "outbound" links should always go to your Outside Blog posts. Getting SEO and traffic to your Blogs is a great thing, but letting others share, and making it easy for them may be just as powerful.
How To Use Your Own "Pre-Purchased" Domain Name on the ActiveRain Outside Blogs This applies to members with Outside Blogs that want to use an existing domain name purchased elsewhere.
"Each new ActiveRain Outside Blog comes with a free custom domain name. But what if you've already purchased a domain name? Using your own domain with your new blog doesn't have to be a nightmare. Just follow your registrar's instructions for updating your domain's name servers. You'll need to point them at ActiveRain."
Here's a tutorial on how to setup your Outside Blog with your own Domain Name or URL in 5 easy steps. Keep in mind that when using your own previously purchased domain names, there can be nothing attached to it. No information currently residing on it. So for example, I just purchased my AR Outside Blog, I own a domain name BradAndersohn.com, (with nothing on it) and I want this to be the URL for my AR Outside Blog.
In this tutorial, I'll be using the GoDaddy Site since they are one of the Largest Domain Name providers in the world. The process in doing this with your registrar (if other than GoDaddy) should be the same or similar.
STEP 1:
Go to "GoDaddy.com" and Log-in to your GoDaddy Account:
STEP 2:
A list of your Domain names and sites will appear on the main page, click on the "Advanced Details" Link:
STEP 3:
In the GoDaddy Domain Manager, you will need to click on the "Manage" link located in the Nameservers section (See Highlighted Area Below)
STEP 4:
Now you need to check the button "I host my domains with another provider" and also change the Nameserver settings to "NS1.AGENTSPACES.COM" & "NS2.AGENTSPACES.COM" then click on the "OK" button. (see below)
STEP 5:
Go to your AR Outside Blog and click on the "Domain" link located in the top toolbar. In the Domain Box, enter in the URL or Domain name and click on the "update domain" button. (TIP: Don't add http, or WWW, no spaces, no CAPS, no symbols etc. and include the .com)
You'll be able to access your blog at its new URL in as little as 5 minutes! (on a bad day, it could take 24-48 hours)
ActiveRain provides you a "Custom Domain" name with ALL your New Outside Blogs if you don't already have one, and it IS included. There is no additional fee or charge for creating your own custom Domain names on AR Outside Blogs. To see what domain names might be available, just go to your Outside Blog, click on the "Domain" link located on the top toolbar, then enter your desired name in box #1. (IE: activebobstewart.com) Then click on the "Check Availability" link to see if your custom domain name is available. If it is, the "Claim Domain" button will become enabled, and you can claim your new Outside Blog domain name right then and there.
THE FINAL STEP:
If any of these steps cause or give you nausea, headaches, diarrhea, vomiting, or any other out of the ordinary daily blogging symptoms, then disconnect from your computer immediately, put your feet up on a lazy boy recliner, take two aspirin, and then call me in the morning. I'd be happy to help you through it if you need! To get your own personalized and customizable Outside Blogs, CLICK HERE. :-))
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Social Media Buttons and Icons - Is Someone Pushing Your Buttons?
During these past few weeks, since adding the "Signature" option to ActiveRain posts, I've received so many requests, calls, and emails regarding how to add "Social Media Buttons and Icons" to the footers of Blog Posts. You've probably seen many of the various types and styles other members are using on their Blogs which poses the question, "Where Are They Getting These?" Here's some sites I've found that offer you these custom buttons for FREE. This includes for personal and commercial use according to their terms and guidelines.
Here are some Links to Literally Thousands of Buttons and Icons:
Instructions For Adding Buttons and Icons to the Signature or Footer of Posts:
Once you've downloaded the Social Media Buttons or Icons of your choice, you can add them to your AR Signature Page (including the appropriate links) by going to your "My Home" page on AR, then select the "Settings" link on the left hand sidebar. Just upload the button or icon into the "Signature" section of the page, add the appropriate link to your image, then click "update" to save. That's it!
One tip I would suggest is to be careful which Icons you select for some of the Social Networking Sites. If the Icon or Button isn't a familiar looking one, then visitors might be less likely to click on it. For example, the cow face, what Social Network or site does that one belong to? Maybe visitors would click on it just to find out? (LOL~) With all these Buttons and Icon styles available, one thing for certain is that your signature can be unique. So have FUN!!
This should give you plenty of options and creative ways to stand out from the rest of the crowd. :-)
Social Media Buttons and Icons - "The Buttons You Want People To Push!"
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Apture - The All In One Tool For Social Media Content
Apture is a pretty nifty tool that allows you to select and control the start and stop times of Youtube Videos, Embed a real-time Twitter feed of a user or search phrase, Embed Interactive Google Street View Maps, and make your Blog posts and websites come alive with a single player and embed code that includes all the above and more. Apture now has a free online service (Builder) that will allow you to search and capture selected content, then place it into a single window that consolidates space on your Blog or site, and lets users select what they want to see.
In just a few minutes, you can select content from various sources to be displayed in the player, and Apture does the search within their custom builder. Many of my Blog posts are longer than I'd like them to be since I add video, RSS feeds, snippets, podcasts, and photos that take up a lot of space. It also takes me time to place each item in the post correctly so they look somewhat cosmetically attractive. I can see many useful ways Apture could be used for creating and posting Hyper-Local content, Listings and Community information, adding relative multi-media and more without taking up all the space on your Blog post.
Here's a sample of the Apture embed tool using various topics and links. As you explore the content options by clicking on the various windows, you'll see what I mean about saving space, time, and consolidating larger amounts of content into a single resource tool. Once you try Apture yourself, you'll see how easy it is and will most likely want to try it with your own topics, searches, and content. Just imagine how long this post would have been if I had included all these items individually.
Why embed only 1 video or slide show when you can include up to 7 items in a single player?
To see how Apture is best utilized, click on any of the images in the lower area of the window above. Each one will open a new window without leaving your Blog or Website. There will be a link to each item if your visitors want to see more. You can also use a variety of multiple content and topics from various sources. If you want to add custom or specific URLs to Apture, you'll just need to sign up for their FREE membership to do so. For more tips and tricks using Apture, see their Blog HERE.
CEO and Co-Founder of Apture demonstrates(using this tool) how to "Go Inside Congress" and create transparency by connecting tidbits of news, video, articles and information into links embedded into his Blog. Yet another great way to use Apture to create exciting Blog posts loaded with rich and useful multi-media content.
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Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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ActiveRain awards members points based on participation and their individual involvement within the network and community. While there is a much more complicated and technical explanation of how the point system works, this post is to provide you a general overview of how points are earned and distributed that to ALL ActiveRain members.
Most of my reading hours are spent right here on ActiveRain. Your Blogs and Posts. Let's face it, one could sit at their computer ALL DAY everyday, and never run out of great material to read and learn from AR members. There is more information, education, inspiration, and entertainment here than you could consume in a lifetime. However, from time to time, I like to head out onto the Blogosphere SUPER-HIGHWAY and explore what else is out there.
When I first started working here at AR, I was reading folks like 
I'm sharing this to try and "Pay it forward" to these sites and writers for all the information and education they've continued to provide me over the years. And to "you" for all that you have shared and contributed here as well. That's what it's all about, people Paying-It-Forward, so thank you. I've created my 
As important as Location, Location, Location is to Real Estate, so is the importance of Exposure, Exposure, Exposure to Bloggers. Some Bloggers offer their subscribers, readers, and visitors the ability to "share" their content with others via 
One tip I would suggest is to be careful which Icons you select for some of the Social Networking Sites. If the Icon or Button isn't a familiar looking one, then visitors might be less likely to click on it. For example, the cow face, what Social Network or site does that one belong to? Maybe visitors would click on it just to find out? (LOL~) With all these Buttons and Icon styles available, one thing for certain is that your signature can be unique. So have FUN!!
;)
;)
